The fire started around 9:30 a.m. at the Regency Square Apartments on Cartier Drive. Fire rescue crews say they found heavy smoke coming from the north and west sides of the two-story, 24-unit apartment building.

Firefighters immediately began attacking the fire and the incident commander called for a second alarm because of the size and occupancy of the building.

All tenants from the affected building and the adjacent building were safely evacuated. Some tenants escaped from their second-story balcony using a personal escape ladder, and in one instance - a bedsheet tied to the railing.

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control by 9:50 a.m.

An investigator from the fire marshal's office ruled the fire accidental, saying a tenant was cooking and stepped away during which time the fire started.